Updates on the Society's website project from Online Editor, J. Nicholas Laneman.
You may have noticed some dramatic changes to the Society website http://www.itsoc.org/ . The new website is the result of a substantial investment of Society resources and volunteer time to provide state-of-the-art tools, allowing everyone in the IT community to contribute content and interact through the web. It is quickly becoming a primary place to share community news, events, and so forth. Since the site went live a few months ago, it has received over 200 visits per day, 7 days a week, from all over the world!
The purpose of this article is to highlight these changes, summarize new ways in which the website can be leveraged, and seek your contributions and feedback.
Ch-Ch-Changes
Since its formation at CISS 2007, the Online Committee has been leading the creation of a new website based upon a Content Management System (CMS). A web CMS allows multiple content creators to submit content without requiring technical knowledge of HTML/CSS or the uploading of such files, and allows online editors to review submitted content before publishing. Put more simply, a CMS allows more people to contribute and manage content more easily than with traditional "static" HTML/CSS websites.
Through careful evaluation of software platforms and developers, the Online Committee selected Plone ( http://www.plone.org/ ), a leading open-source CMS, and partnered with SixFeetUp, Inc. ( http://www.sixfeetup.com/ ) for professional graphic design, software customizations, and web hosting. Basing the project on open-source software technology has enabled over a 3-to-1 leverage of funds invested, based upon the estimated value of Plone software out of the box. Customizations include content types such as individual profiles, papers and awards, committees and chapters, and meetings. A dynamic homepage provides quick links to content throughout the site. As needs develop and funding allows, additional rounds of software development can be pursued.
Shortly after the first major round of development came to a close in late 2008, the Society Officers approved launching the site at ITA 2009. The former site remains available at http://legacy.itsoc.org/ as we continue to migrate content to the new site. To encourage and gauge use of the new site by the community, the Online Committee has been working with a number of individuals, Committees, and Chapters and also collecting web usage statistics using Google Analytics ( http://www.google.com/analytics/ ). These usage statistics can be made available to interested parties for content and membership development.
Another change worth mentioning is a cultural one. At CISS 2009 the Board of Governors approved the formation of a standing Online Committee to continue managing the Society's web operations. Designated members of the Online Committee will serve as Associate Online Editors with specific focus areas within the website, e.g., news and events, committees and chapters, surveys and tutorials, blogs and mailing lists, and so forth. The Online Committee maintains a web area at http://www.itsoc.org/people/committees/online to archive its discussions and plans. All Society members are welcome to provide input and suggestions, and those interested in participating as members of the Online Committee should send an email to [email protected] .
Getting Started
The new website provides a powerful foundation for content creation and interaction among community members. Members of the Online Committee are available to help get you started, and we are always open to suggestions on how to make the site more useful for the community. The remainder of this article will provide quick instructions for getting started using the site.
Check or Register for an Account
Contributing basic content like biographical and contact information, news items, events, and dissertations requires that you have an account. In some cases, an account has already been created because of membership on committees or recognition for awards.
You can check for an existing account by pointing your web browser to the main homepage http://www.itsoc.org/ and entering your last name in the " Search " box. If a search result with a person icon comes up, you already have an account. If you have trouble inferring your username, send an email to [email protected] for help.
To register for a new account, point your web browser to the main homepage http://www.itsoc.org/ and click on the quick link for " New user? ". Enter your contact information, upload a picture, and click the "Register" button at the bottom of the page when you are done. It will take a day or two for your account to be approved by one of the Online Editor(s).
Don't be shy. Upload your favorite photo of yourself and allow it to be displayed on the main homepage. The software randomly selects a profile for each page view, so the more people that allow display of their profiles, the more dynamic the main page becomes.
Feel free to share your main email address, because the software provides automatic email obfuscation to prevent SPAM. If you are skeptical, view the source of a page containing an email address.
If you forgot your password, you can visit the quick link for " Forgot your password? " to reset it via email.
Share News and Events
News items and events are some of the most important bits of information to share with the community in a timely fashion. The new website allows these to be posted directly by community members with lightweight review by Online Editors. The Newsletter and Online Editors are working together to use the new website for a joint submission process for such content.
To post a news item, point your web browser to the main homepage http://www.itsoc.org/ and look for the quick link to " Share News ". Try to include an image and caption, if you have them. Also try to include links to related information on the website, if applicable.
To announce an event, point your web browser to the main homepage http://www.itsoc.org/ and look for the quick link to " Announce an Event ". Try to include as much detail about the event as possible, particularly dates, times, locations, and contact information.
After filling in the relevant information in either case, click on the "Save" button at the bottom of the page. Click on the "State: Private" tab and select "Submit"; Online Editor(s) will review and publish the content within a few days.
Upload Your Dissertation
Many important results are buried in unpublished chapters of Ph.D. theses. The new website allows us to make sure the community can track them all down.
To post a link or a PDF to your dissertation, point your web browser to the main homepage http://www.itsoc.org/ and click on the quick link to " Post Your Dissertation ". A permanent link to a PDF at your institution is preferable, but if there is no permanent PDF of your thesis on the web and you have copyright permissions, feel free to upload the PDF directly.
After filling in the relevant information, click on the "Save" button at the bottom of the page.
Click on the "State: Private" tab and select "Submit"; Online Editor(s) will review and publish the content within a few days.
Interact in a Committee or Chapter
A number of Committees (e.g., Board of Governors, Students, Outreach, and Membership and Chapters) and Chapters (e.g., Benelux, Korea, Russia, and Israel) have started or are starting to use the new website for their operations.
If you are looking for a Committee or Chapter in which to participate, you can browse the directories by pointing your web browser to http://www.itsoc.org/people/committees or http://www.itsoc.org/people/chapters , respectively.
If you are the Chair or Co-Chair of a Committee or Chapter who is interested in using the website, please contact the Online Committee for further assistance by sending an email to [email protected] .
Acknowledgments
Quite unexpectedly, the website project became a 3 year journey of experimenting, developing specifications, identifying the right technology and developer partner, managing software development, migrating content from the old to the new site, and bringing the community up to speed. All of our progress has been the result of cautiously optimistic support from the Officers and Board of Governors, invaluable service provided by volunteer members of the Online Committee, and stellar execution by SixFeetUp, our software development partner. Although everyone's input has been tremendously helpful, the Society owes special appreciation to Bixio Rimoldi for his input on the project during his year as President, to Anant Sahai for his assistance in managing contracts and finances, and to Matthieu Bloch, Jean-Francois Chamberland, and Anand Sarwate for their tremendous volunteer service during the major software development and content migration that led to the launch of the new site.